Third Time
by Christine Ambrosia
Summary: Three times Eren and Levi encountered each other. Each time slightly more intimate than the last. Modern au, eventual Eren x Levi.
1. Chapter 1

One: Black and Blue

Eren Yaeger had a hard day at work. What way was better to deal with such a shitty day than to go out and have a few drinks? Currently, in Eren's mind, nothing could beat the pleasure of gulping down copious amounts of alcohol in far too little time than the human body should be able to.

In his drunken haze, all Eren could seem to focus on was the man a little ways across the bar, who was downing his tenth- maybe twelfth- shot of straight vodka. Eren couldn't stand the stuff, but not as much as he couldn't stand the way the man was looking at him when not focused on his shot glass.

After nearly an hour, Eren stood from his stool, slamming his hands against the bar top and drawing the attention of the few still sober in the room, and stumbled over to where the man sat, his already narrowed eyes narrowing further than should be humanly possible as Eren drew nearer.

"Why do you keep lookin' at me?" Eren slurred drunkenly, poking the man sharply in the shoulder. The man scowled, standing from the stool, and Eren was surprised and amused at how short this man was. Coupled with the stern, intimidating look on his face, the entire situation suddenly seemed almost comical.

"I could ask you the same question, brat." He spat, literally, into the empty shot glass at his seat. The bartender swooped in, removing the dirty glass with a grimace, before sending a sharp scowl at the two men. Pointing at them with a pudgy finger, he gestured to the door.

"If you two are going to fight, take it outside." Eren scoffed, glaring down at the shorter man, who was obviously still in his work clothes, he breast adorned with a silver nametag that read 'Levi' in swirling black letters.

Eren looked at the bartender. "This short-ass couldn't take me on if he-" Before Eren could even register what had happened, he was being dragged out of the bar by the collar of his shirt while lying flat on his back. Seconds later it occurred to him, that Levi had kicked his legs out and was proceeding to drag him outside.

… _Oh fuck_.

:::

A kick hit him square in the cheek and he collapsed on his side with a pained gasp, looking up at Levi through a swollen, purple eye.

"Short-ass, huh? You'd better watch your mouth." He kicked Eren again, kneed him in the stomach a few times, dropping him to the blood spattered ground, placing a foot between his shoulder blades in a pure sign of dominance.

"Yeah?" Eren coughed. "Then tell me where you work to get a swirly little nametag like that. Do you-" another sharp kick to the face shut him up quickly, as Levi once more rained multiple blows down upon him, swearing up a storm as he did so. Eren wished he had consumed more alcohol, then maybe he wouldn't be in as much pain, and maybe the next day he wouldn't remember getting his ass kicked by someone who was nearly a foot shorter than him.

Spitting on the ground, Levi backed off, muttering under his breath. "Waste of my time. Couldn't even put up a good fight," With that, he walked off, surprisingly straight for someone who was hammered, except for when he slammed into a brick wall. Eren chuckled a little, karma was truly a bitch, a wonderful, vengeful bitch. Soon after Levi had left his sight, Eren pushed himself off the concrete, stumbling, obviously very, very drunk. And he could barely see out of his left eye.

Even as he was, Eren moved quickly, suddenly loving the sound of drinking several gallons of water and passing out on his bed. His mind was pleasantly occupied by these thoughts, until he nearly ran into someone walking in front of him. His heart leapt when their eyes met.

"Come back for more, brat? Or are you stalking me now?" Eren took a step back, cheek and eye throbbing in a painful reminder of the things this man had done not even half an hour previous. Mustering up all his drunken courage, Eren drew himself to his full height and continued to walk alongside Levi.

Levi groaned impossibly loudly when they turned onto the property of the same apartment building. Eren internally cringed, muttering, then pressing himself forward. All he had to do was brave the elevator shaft with asshole next to him for who knows how many floors, and then be rid of him. Simple.

They pushed each other through the door and into the lobby, grumbling while waiting for the elevator. Upon its arrival, they hustled inside, slamming their index fingers down on the same button at the same time. Eren turned, kicking the wall as the elevator began to move with a shuddery jolt. Nine floors up. Just nine floors. Both stood in opposing corners of the small boxed area, looking everywhere but at the other, until the elevator dinged.

Both shot down the hallway, all but running as to not disturb the people living on the eighth floor. Eren was surprised that he didn't get another beating when Levi unlocked the door next to his own, sending him a murderous glare as the lock clicked back into place, door slamming quietly.

Eren growled, opening his own door and shuffling his way inside, shutting and locking the door, walking into the kitchen. Since Eren was a regular drinker, not an alcoholic, but certainly enjoyed a drink or two, grabbed a water bottle from his fridge that held two gallons of water (He'd found it on a trip to the States), guzzled almost half of it, and collapsed onto his bed.

Starting to doze off, Eren was left to wonder why the only thing swimming around his beer-hazed mind were thoughts of the short, angry man named Levi that lived next door.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two: Comfort Food

Levi groaned as the sunlight streaming through the curtains of his bedroom hit him like a smack in the face. Each movement made his head throb, and he supressed another groan, pushing off his bed and heading into the far too cramped bathroom to take a shower.

::::::

Pacing the living room, Levi wondered what to do next. It was his day off today, hence why he could afford to go out and get dead drunk, but he had managed to do all his shopping, clean his apartment, and sleep off his terrible hangover all before one in the afternoon.

Collapsing onto the couch with a cup of coffee in tow, Levi lazily began to flick through different programs playing on the television, finding one that didn't completely bore him, his thoughts began to wander to the previous night's events.

Of all the luck he could've gotten, the annoyance who'd ass he'd easily beaten just _had _to live right next door. After the boy's attitude, Levi really couldn't blame himself for never going over to introduce himself to the new neighbours after his friend, Petra, had moved out. Sipping delicately at the coffee, he pondered about the boy. Even with his face bloodied and plastered to the concrete, he hadn't backed down, a fire in his eyes only growing brighter with each hit.

A sharp knock on the door almost made Levi spill the scalding coffee all over himself. Muttering angrily, he strode to the door, unlocking it and throwing it open with so much force it would have hit the wall if not for his hand, steadied on the knob. A growl left his throat.

Standing in the doorway was the boy from the bar, holding what appeared to be a lasagna. Glancing up at his face and back to the steaming tray in the boy's hands, he nearly slammed the door shut.

"I wanted to apologize," the boy blurted quickly, sensing the decision running through Levi's head. "My name is Eren, by the way. Um, here, this is for you. An apology lasagna." Levi suddenly felt his heart stutter, and when he opened his mouth his breath caught in his throat. All he could manage out was;

"An apology lasagna?" Taking it as an invitation, Eren strolled in through the door, and strangely enough, Levi shut the door behind him, despite the fact of his mind screaming at him to throw the fucker back out the way he came. Eren placed the lasagna on the stovetop, shaking out his pink-tinted hands. Levi stared quietly for a moment, before clearing his throat gently.

"I'm sorry. About your cheek, brat." Levi hastily bit out the term, sniffing loudly, walking back into the living room and reclaiming his seat. Eren plopped himself down, a seat between them, the only sounds in the apartment floating out of the T.V. "I'm Levi." Levi had simply felt like he needed to say it, since Eren had given him his.

"I know," Eren said quickly, having the courtesy to blush slightly. "I mean, uh- I read your nametag yesterday."

"Ah," Levi whispered, eyes flickering to Eren, a small, angry smirk plastering itself to his face. "So you really are a stalker. Even came to my house with a lasagna." Eren floundered, and Levi couldn't help but internally laugh at how easy it was to make this boy flustered.

"We should eat the lasagna before it gets cold," Eren finally said, trying very obviously to change the topic. Levi grunted, standing from the couch, heading for the kitchen with Eren following a little too closely behind him. Upon entering the small space, Levi opened a cabinet and stretched up to grab the plates, only for Eren to swoop in and simply hand them down to him. Levi's pale eyes flashed dangerously, and Eren muttered an apology.

::::::

The pair sat at the tiny, white kitchen table, shoving forkfuls of warm food into their mouths. "Where do you work, though, to have a nametag like that?" Levi almost dropped his fork, looking at Eren curiously, who promptly wondered if they were going to have a repeat of last night in Levi's apartment. Sighing in irritation, Levi glared hard at the younger male.

"I work in a salon," he stopped, waiting for a reaction. Receiving none, he asked, "What about you?"

Eren swallowed the last bite on his plate. "I'm a police officer." A wry smile planted itself on his lips. "How old are you?" Now this was interesting. The boy was trying to get to know the man who had beaten him up in an alleyway better.

"Older than you." Eren waited. "I'm thirty-two. Your turn." Eren's smile grew a bit, thinking he had fully roped Levi in.

"Twenty-five. Just how tall are you, actually?" Tonight was going to be a _long_ night. They continued to ask each other questions, where they were born, what their favourite food was, hobbies, schools they'd gone to, and just about anything else. Levi was surprised at how easily he talked to this boy, and how nice he was, he certainly hadn't seemed like this the night before.

"Okay. What were your parents like?" Eren asked, laughing softly. Levi had to stop for a moment before answering.

"Well… I had 'daddy issues', and my mom commit suicide when I was thirteen, my dad disappeared on my fifteenth birthday. Not that I bothered to look for him, though, the asshole." Eren nodded in slight understanding.

"My dad vanished just before I turned eleven. Police never found a trace of him, he was a good man. My mom died in a car accident shortly after that." Eren looked at his watch. "Well, it's late, so I'd better get going. Work tomorrow, you know?" Levi followed him to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open as Eren slipped out.

"Hey, brat. Come over tomorrow night. I'm making you an apology dinner. Be there." He slammed the door shut, unwilling to take no for an answer.

Eren blinked a few times, fishing his key from his sweater pocket with a laugh.

::::::

Having dinner together soon became a regular occurrence for the pair more often at Levi's than not. It started out being only on weekends, then on days off too, and eventually every day as long as neither of them were busy. They alternated who made dinner.

Soon it progressed to dinner and chatting afterwards, sometimes with wine or coffee, or even going back to the bar where they'd met and grabbing a few drinks there (much to the bartender's shock). And then, it became lounging in Levi's living room, watching T.V or playing videogames.

One night, a couple months later, they were sitting on Levi's brand new couch, drinking red wine, chatting softly as the night grew on. Slowly, Eren found that he could barely focus on what Levi was saying. All he could think about was how silly his hair looked, how soft his lips might feel, how his skin was like beautiful porcelain.

Without even thinking, Eren leaned in, pressing his lips softly against Levi's. They were soft, warm, chapped. Levi went along with it for a moment, before pushing himself away and covering his mouth with his hand.

"I think you should leave," he said quietly. Eren, not wanting to hinder their friendship further, despite the fact it was probably broken beyond repair, set his wine down, got off the couch, and let himself out into the cool hallway.

He had never felt an emptiness like this before.


	3. Chapter 3

Nearly a week had passed since the day Levi asked Eren to leave. Though the hollow feeling kept creeping back and gnawing at him, Eren tried his best to continue on with everyday life. Work was easy, allowing himself to be swept away on minor calls and some paper work.

Being at home, or even around the apartment, was more difficult. To know that each moment he sat in his bedroom, kitchen, living room, the man he'd fallen for was just through a wall. Most nights Eren would crash at his sites Mikasa's apartment across town, or with his friend Armin. He'd get himself drunk and stumble to the nearest motel. He went to night clubs and tried to forget. If there was a way, he was trying, wanting nothing more than to forget the look on Levi's face.

Unbeknownst to him, Levi wasn't doing too well either.

Levi spaced out at work, never ate his lunch, sat quietly in a salon chair staring at the ceiling during his breaks. His coworkers had attempted to coax it from him, but he'd always snap a quick 'I'm fine' and go back to working.

Dinner was a lonely affair. Since their meeting, Levi had only been inside Eren's messy, unkempt apartment twice. Levi ate very little of his meals, if none at all, opting instead to guzzle a few bottles of strong vodka before collapsing on the couch. Three days into this cycle, his boss told him to take the week off.

::::::

"Levi! I heard you were having some troubles~" His friend, Hanji, burst through the door, giant smile plastered on her face. Levi glared at her from his position on the couch. He was lying on his stomach, face pressed into a wine stain on the cushion. After Eren had left, Levi tried to finish his wine- only his hands shook so badly he spilled it onto the couch.

"What the fuck do you want," he breathed, pushing his torso up, glaring the best he could in his confused, hung-over state. "I don't need your help with anything." Hanji raised an eyebrow.

"So it's a guy, huh?" Hanji had been well aware of Levi's preferences for a long time. Levi was well aware of the fact Hanji was practically a fucking mind reader and lying to her was futile.

"Yeah." Hanji shut the door and plopped herself down beside him, kicking her muddy boots up on the coffee table and missing Levi's semi-exaggerated cringe. She blinked at him, waiting for an elaboration.

"He lives next door. He's twenty five. We started hanging out, he kissed me, and I asked him to leave. Now my life appears to be falling apart."

Hanji had to hold in a laugh. Levi, of all people, was positively in love with a man who lived next door. And was completely oblivious to this fact.

"Well, have you tried going over to talk to him?" Levi stared impassively, his entire face saying 'I cannot believe you just asked me that of course I did are you stupid'.

"He wasn't home." Hanji hummed in response, standing from her seat and spreading more mud across the carpet.

"You should keep trying. Bring something as an apology gift, too." She held up a gift card, one for a very nice restaurant. Levi decided not to ask where she had gotten it. "Use this. I was gonna ask of you wanted to have dinner with me, but I think you need it more."

Taking the card, turning it over in his hands, studying the black sleeve. "No. I have a better idea. Let's go, I'm hungry."

::::::

Eren was woken from his light nap in front of the T.V. when three banging knocks sounded on his apartment door. He wanted to ignore it, roll over and go back to sleep. But the knocking came again, accompanied by several loud swears through the wood.

Barely able to control the hope bubbling in his chest, Eren leapt from the couch, unlocking the door and throwing it open in one swift motion. He blinked down.

There was Levi, looking more than a little angry and sheepish, holding a dish covered with tinfoil. Eren opened his mouth, closed it again, looking rather like a fish. Levi glanced to the floor, shoving the warm dish against his chest.

"I brought you an apology lasagna," he huffed. "Brat." Eren just barely managed to hold in a choked laugh, a slight burn gathering behind his eyes at the pure relief that Levi did not hate him, that he hadn't ruined everything with one kiss.

"Can I come in or not?" The shorter male growled, Eren quickly skirting aside and allowing him through, shutting the door firmly behind him.

They sat at Eren's small kitchen table, eating the lasagna, not a word passing between them. Eren didn't want to say anything, he didn't know if Levi was trying to put the kiss behind them, further their relationship (if it could even be called that), or something else entirely. He just wanted to keep Levi with him as long as possible. After a few more minutes of silence, Levi spoke up.

"I wanted to tell you the way I acted, after... Wasn't what I meant. I was surprised. Didn't know what else to do." He gave a sidelong glance to the younger man. "But if that's how you feel, and you want to try this, I'm in." Eren smiled at the familiar bluntness. Levi spoke like they were striking some kind of deal. In a way, though, Eren supposed they were.

"Yeah. I'd like that." The second the words were out of his mouth, Eren felt himself being pulled down, until his face was level with Levi, both staring into the other's eyes. Eren slowly, gently, pressed his lips on Levi's, humming in appreciation when he accepted. Their lips moving together, breaking after a short time, panting slightly.

"I think this could work really well," Eren laughed.

"Shut up, brat." But Eren could see the minuscule smile on Levi's lips.


End file.
